PM Carney pushes 'build fast' agenda with 246-page bill to speed project approvals to one year

Prime Minister Mark Carney is pushing through major economic legislation designed to accelerate infrastructure approvals, facing criticism from organized labour over provisions that would let the labour minister end work stoppages deemed in the national interest.

Bill C-39, a 246-page measure tabled September 18 and announced to the Liberal caucus in Ottawa, would limit federal project reviews to a single year under a new framework: "one project, one review, one year." The bill covers port expansions, mines, hydroelectric links, pipelines, and other major infrastructure. The Major Projects Office, established by Carney's government to shepherd proposals through federal approvals, has added more than two dozen projects to its list since it was created last year.

Carney, speaking from the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, defended the push against criticism. "We've been very clear that we would focus on what we can control, and first and foremost is building at home, building Canada strong, building in a way that builds for all," he told reporters. He invoked the decade-long approval process for the rail bypass after the Lac-Mégantic disaster as an example of unnecessary delay. "A decision delayed is a project denied," Carney said. "If you're going to say no — decide it within a year."

The bill also includes a provision allowing the labour minister to direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board to end work stoppages if the action "adversely affects" federally regulated industries. Under the current Canada Labour Code (Section 107), the minister can direct the board to "do such things as the minister deems necessary" to maintain industrial peace; the proposed change would tighten the standard to a specific threshold.

Organized labour argues the new power infringes on the right to strike. Carney countered that Bill C-39 "absolutely reinforces the right to strike," but the language dispute remains unresolved. Carney claimed the government received a clear mandate from voters in the last general election and subsequent byelections to "build Canada strong." He argued that under the previous government, approval timelines were so long that businesses "stopped building," resulting in fewer jobs and higher costs for families. The government is expected to move the bill through Parliament this fall.